One Day Soon (One Day Soon, #1)(63)



“She was never the same after that. A year later Dad had her put here. He sold her house, boxed up her stuff, and left her alone. Her mind has been deteriorating ever since. Alzheimer’s the doctors say. I think it’s just f*cking boredom. Grandma isn’t the type of lady to be cool with sitting in a rocking chair staring at a wall all day. When she has good days, it’s awesome. When she has bad days, it’s heart breaking. But I keep coming here, even if sometimes she doesn’t remember who I am.”

It all made sense. And it made me hurt for him even more.

I painted a bright smile on my face. “I can’t wait to meet her,” I told him honestly. He was handing me fragments of his life. Pieces, tiny and precious.

“Do I look okay?” he asked and I wanted to laugh at the question. Okay wasn’t a word that anyone could ever use to describe him. Even wearing clothes that had seen better days, he was more beautiful than anyone.

“You look wonderful. What about me? Will Grandma approve?” I asked, feeling a little nervous for the first time. I wished I had something nicer to wear to meet such an important person in Yoss’s life. I felt grubby and small.

Yoss put his finger under my chin and lifted my face. His smile was sweet as his eyes swept over me. “She’ll love you because I love you.”

We walked into the foyer of Windy Acres and Yoss was immediately greeted by the red-haired lady sitting at the front desk.

“Yoss! Hello! It’s been too long!” She got up and came around to give him a hug, which he returned.

“How’s Grandma been? I should have been by to see her sooner—” Yoss began, a guilty note in his voice.

Red-haired lady waved away his comment. “You’re a busy young man. It’s just important that you’re here now.” Her face grew serious. “I don’t think she’d even realize if you were here.”

Yoss’s face fell. “Is she having a bad day?”

Red-haired lady patted his shoulder. “She’s in a good mood. But she thinks she’s at home waiting for your mother to come back from a playdate.”

Yoss glanced over at me. “I can wait out here if you want to see her alone,” I offered. I didn’t want to push my presence on a very personal moment.

Yoss grabbed my hand and squeezed. “No, I want you to meet her,” he said emphatically.

Red-haired lady gave me a smile. “And who is this lovely girl?”

Yoss grinned, brightening instantly. “Holly, this is my girlfriend Imogen. Imogen, this is Holly, my favorite nurse.”

Holly beamed, clearly tickled by Yoss’s words. “I bet you say that to all of the nurses,” she scolded him good-naturedly.

“Nice to meet you, Holly,” I said, holding out my hand for her to shake. If she thought our dirty, untidy appearance strange, she never let on.

“And nice to meet you too, Imogen. You kids can go on back. I think she’s in the common room,” Holly told Yoss.

“Thanks,” Yoss said, leading me down the hallway.

He seemed both eager and hesitant. His fingers were a death grip on mine.

We stepped through a doorway into a brightly lit room. It was full of people but it was strangely quiet, the only noise coming from the soft drone of the television mounted to the wall.

A couple of elderly men were playing a game of chess. A woman was reading a book in a large chair by the picture windows. A few residents were walking with the help of an aide. They all appeared clean and well taken care of. But none of them looked particularly happy. Mostly they seemed resigned. As if they were simply killing time.

“There she is,” Yoss murmured under his breath, indicating a frail looking woman sitting at a table near the back of the room. Her head, covered in a cloud of messy white hair, was bent over a large jigsaw puzzle.

I felt nervous. Unnerved.

I was meeting Yoss’s family. I felt grossly unprepared for what this would mean to him. To the both of us.

I followed him through the room until we were standing beside his grandmother. She didn’t look up, too absorbed in what she was doing.

Which, honestly, didn’t seem like a whole lot. She wasn’t putting pieces together. She simply moved them around the table in swirling patterns.

“Gran,” Yoss said softly, putting his hand on her shoulder. He was tense as he waited for her to respond. We were both holding our breath.

Then slowly she reached up and put her hand on top of his. Her rheumy eyes looked up at him and she smiled.

Yoss smiled back, his entire face lighting up. I hung back a little.

“Hi Gran, sorry it’s been so long,” Yoss said, pulling out a chair and sitting down across from her. He glanced at me and nodded towards the chair beside him. I sat down, tucking my hands in my lap.

“Hello,” his grandmother said, continuing to grin at the both of us.

“This is Imogen, Gran,” Yoss told her. “She’s my girlfriend.”

His grandmother began to fiddle with a gold chain around her neck. A small locket rested in the hollow of her throat and she caressed it gently as she looked back and forth between the two of us.

“Oh. That’s nice,” she said absently.

Yoss’s smile faded a little. “Do you remember who I am?”

His grandmother giggled. It was a strange sound. High pitched. Out of place. She covered her mouth with her hand as if she had been caught doing something she shouldn’t.

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